


Masterpiece

by musicalkiddo



Category: Spring Awakening - Sheik/Sater
Genre: M/M, and hanschen does him a favor for a project for school, ernst is an artist, this is just kinda a fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-12
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-26 03:30:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4988488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicalkiddo/pseuds/musicalkiddo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is inspired by a prompt thing on tumblr that I saw a while ago-</p><p>"The paint is supposed to go where?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Masterpiece

Ernst spent an abnormally long time cleaning his apartment, and then an even more abnormally long time cleaning all his brushes. Hanschen had been over before, of course, because they were friends. And he’d seen Ernst’s art, seen Ernst making art, seen Ernst break a canvas over his knee in a moment of frustration.

But this was different.

Ernst was wishing he’d gotten a cheese platter or something when Hanschen knocked on the door.

“Thank you for coming,” he said as the blond boy walked into his apartment, sliding out of his jacket. “I was so panicked that I wouldn’t have anyone to do this project with.” His friend Thea from his art class was supposed to be his partner, but she was home with the flu, and he called everyone trying to find someone to help, but nobody was available on such short notice.

“Of course,” Hanschen told him, making himself comfortable on the couch and stretching his arms out across the back. “I don’t know why you didn’t ask me sooner, Wendla said you called her last night? You know I’m always willing to help you out.”

“You’ve been so busy lately with class. I didn’t want to bother you,” Ernst lied. In reality, he’d wanted to ask Hanschen, and he knew his friend would be happy to help. He was scared, though, due to the nature of the project. The assignment was intended to create an intimacy, a connection between two people. Ernst wasn’t sure he could handle that with Hanschen, and he didn’t want the other boy finding out about the crush he’d had since freshman orientation when they first met.

“You’re never a bother.”

“Thanks.” There was a pause. “Um, so do you want to just take your shirt off now?”

Hanschen chuckled, and Ernst blushed, looking down at the well vacuumed floor. “Wait, what?” Hanschen asked.

“For the project?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Did you not get the text about what the project is? I sent you a picture of the assignment this morning.” Ernst wanted to die.

“No, I didn’t get it.” Hanschen pulled out his phone to check. “Just you asking me to come over and help you out.”

“Oh, shit. If you’re uncomfortable I’d understand, it’s kind of a weird request and I-”

“Ernst,” Hanschen cut him off, “chill. You haven’t even told me what the project is yet.”

“You’d be, like, the canvas.”

“And the paint’s supposed to go where?”

“Right. Right, um, here.” He pulled up the picture on his phone- it’s someone lying on their stomach with Van Gogh’s starry night recreated on their back. “It’s something like this, and it’s supposed to, um, like, capture the relationship we have with the person we’re painting on.” Thea was his friend. Thea’s back would have been simple, he could have painted, like, two rabbits or something peaceful. But Hanschen.... He wasn’t sure.

“Cool!”

“You’re okay with it?”

Hanschen was already taking his shirt off. “Yeah, absolutely.”

“Okay, um, great. Do you mind maybe lying on the floor? You can grab a pillow off the couch.”

“Sure thing.” While Hanschen situated himself, Ernst went into his room to grab his box of supplies. He also took deep breaths and tried to stay calm about what was about to transpire.

“Do you want to, like, put the tv on or something?” Ernst asked when he returned to the living room. “This might be dreadfully boring for you.”

“Wouldn’t that distract you?” Hanschen had seen Ernst work, knew how in the zone he got.

“Yeah, probably,” Ernst admitted.

“Then it’s fine. I’ll just relax. It’s actually nice to have time where nobody expects anything from me, I just get to lay here.”

“Great. Then should we start?”

“Let’s do it!” Hanschen’s grin made Ernst want to pass out. The thought of touching his skin....

Ernst made the first brushstroke tentatively. Under his hands, Hanschen’s back went up and down with his breathing.

After about twenty minutes of painting, Ernst was struggling to find an angle from which to reach Hanschen’s back without smudging the work he’d already done.

“Um,” he said, breaking the silence that had been hanging, “do you mind if I, like straddle you?” He could see Hanschen’s back and shoulders shake with laughter.

“Whatever you need,” he granted. “You know,” he added as Ernst climbed on to him, “I can’t wait to see what you paint.”

“Yeah. Me neither.” Hanschen could hear in his voice that the artist wasn’t joking, so he refrained from responding, feeling the brushstrokes start up again.

Hanschen didn’t know how much time had past when Ernst finally stood up. He’d lost himself in the tickles of the paintbrushes and the warmth of Ernst’s fingers blending colors together.

“It’s done,” Ernst announced with glee, cracking his knuckles and congratulating himself on surviving the endeavor. “Let me just wash my hands and then I’ll come take the pictures of you.”

“It’s weird that I don’t even know what’s on my body,” Hanschen called as Ernst left the room. “Like, if I didn’t know you have a ton of artistic integrity I’d say that this could just be a giant dick or something.”

“It’s not a dick,” Ernst promised, scrubbing his hands in the kitchen sink. Although, that might have been less embarrassing than what he did.

“I’m dying!” Hanschen yelled, slamming his face down against the pillow he’d placed for himself on the floor. “Come show me what this is!”

“Relax,” Ernst laughed, coming back into the room and opening his camera app. “Stay still,” he commanded, moving a lamp to create less shadow on Hanschen’s painted back and snapping a few pictures of it. After he was satisfied with how the photos captured his hard work, he sat down on the floor next to Hanschen, leaning his back against the couch. “Okay,” he said slowly. “You can sit up.”

Hanschen stretched while he sat up, tossing the pillow back onto the couch and holding his hand out to Ernst expectantly. Ernst handed him his phone.

Hanschen stared, taking in the painting. In the center of his back was a human heart, surrounded by ice and fire on opposing sides, meeting and blending around it. It was the most honest piece Ernst had ever done, and he was terrified watching Hanschen look at it.

He was about to grab his phone away when Hanschen spoke. “Holy shit.”

“Good or bad?” Ernst asked quietly, looking down at his hands.

“Amazing, Ernst. Wow. This is like.... it’s amazing.”

“You really think so?”

Hanschen didn’t answer. “This is what our relationship is to you?”

Shit. “Yeah, I mean, it’s exaggerated for the art though. So only kind of.”

Hanschen moved to sit next to him, careful not to let his back get paint on any of Ernst’s furniture. “Can you explain it to me?”

Ernst couldn’t. Instead, he leaned towards the blonde and kissed him once, quickly, before pulling away again. Hanschen being kind about his art had made him feel braver, but the kiss made him feel like an idiot. As if he hadn’t already asked for enough.

While he was pondering this, however, Hanschen kissed him again. It lasted longer this time, and it took Ernst’s breath away.

“Do you think you’re gonna need help washing all this paint off?” Ernst ventured.

“Absolutely,” Hanschen grinned, standing and pulling Ernst up with him. “Let’s go.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is a result of me having no self control and wanting to write fic more than I want to do homework.
> 
> I'd love to know what you think! Let me know here or at musicalkiddo.tumblr.com
> 
> I'm also totally open to prompts or anything else you feel like sending my way!


End file.
